Hi Ladies - we are starting to get the nursery and registries together, but have not been able to find any good resources for comparison shopping. This is our first baby, and we have no clue what kinds of crib, car seat, stroller, etc. are recommended for durability, safety, ease of use, etc.... Have you found any good websites or books that you'd recommend? Any favorite products that you are already using? Thanks!

Try to remember that not everyone needs everything. Consider your own parenting style (what you know of it!). Some things you can wait to buy once you see if you really need them -- perhaps you could borrow something like a sling (or swing) (or co-sleeper) from a friend first and see if it is worth spending the $$ to buy. Or buy used and if it's something you love maybe then invest in new, especially if you think you'll have more than one child eventually. And too, some things I couldn't do without (like a changing table) most of my friends have never used and never missed. (And vice versa. A battery-operated musical swing? I wouldn't let it through my doorway, but some friends found it was the only thing to soothe baby to sleep.)

i did a lot of reading on mdc and a few searches of consumer reports for some items. we weren't planning on getting a crib or changing table, and i figured we could stave off getting a high chair or booster seat until the babe was actually sitting up and going to use them.

favorite products:

*Britax Marathon carseat: spendy but absolutely worth the $$, in my opinion. still rear-facing since it can be so until the child is 33lbs. rear-facing is safest: http://www.cpsafety.org/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx we also didn't bother with the infant car seat with the lock in bucket.

*slings: Maya Wrap ring sling, Moby Wrap (two shouldered carrier), Ergo Carrier (we didn't buy this until our son was 4 months old because we didn't need it before then)

*exersaucer: we got ours used and weren't even going to get one until we put our son in it at the resale shop one day and he got the hugest grin on his face. it was a great buy and let us eat dinner while sitting at the table many nights.

*doorway jumper: again, we weren't expecting to buy one, but he tried one at a friends and loved it. this let me shower and know that he was safe and happy.

*stroller: we did not buy a stroller before the birth of our first child because we figured we could try the babe out in different ones and see which was most comfortable. we got a jogger stroller used when he was about 6 months old and he still hates it. then last summer we bought a Combi Savvy (travel stroller that's a little bit more than an umbrella stroller but just as lightweight) because we were planning some trips and our son loves it. he walks almost everywhere now, but it's great for traveling and walking through the airport and trips to the zoo and such.

*booster chair: we had a cheapo high chair we got used and we hated it and our son wasn't too fond of it either. the tray was a pain to clean, too. then we wanted a portable booster seat and found the Handy-Sitt chair made in Denmark. we bought it from www.pinkandbluebebe.com It's the best darn thing in the whole world, we think...

*cloth diapers: i love my simple chinese prefolds (CPFs) but i also love Fuzzibunz pocket dipes. of course, i would have bought the totally wrong sizes for our son, who ended up being a skinny-legged one who the petite size fits best. who knew?

Avoid the "must have" lists on babies r us like the plague. They will happily try to convince you that you need as much stuff as possible. Besides that, I was surprised at how much our dd's personality played through at that young age. She had very definite preferences, so going used or borrowing the high ticket items until you know for sure that your baby will like them is handy.

Some of our favorites:
-yoga ball - I would sit on it and hold her and bounce. This was one of the only ways to calm her (high needs all the way)
-sling
-swing
-Miracle Blanket (a swaddling blanket)
-lots and lots and lots of hand towels/diapers for burp cloths (reflux baby)

Thanks for all these great ideas! We made our first trip to BabiesRUs a couple days ago and are still in shock. This is our first baby and we haven't gotten anything yet - I like the recommendation to wait on some stuff until the baby's born. That makes it seem a little less overwhelming!

Definately check out Consumer Reports.
My personal favorite "brands" would be Britax for carseats, Peg Perego for strollers or highchairs, Fisher-Price for swings & bouncy seats, Graco for playpens.
Not that you need all of that stuff. Spend the $ on getting the best carseat you can afford...don't buy one used or borrow one. (for safety reasons)
I'd skip the crib, personally, look into co-sleeping instead.
For a stroller...you really need to consider what kind of people you are (city dwellers, country folks, super active...) and what you'll be using it for (trips in & out of stores, etc...just around the neighbourhood, jogging around the track...) & then find a stroller that is rated well (like on Consumer Reports) that will fit your needs.
Also check out the babywearing forum here...there is a lot of good info about what kind of baby carrier works best for...where to buy...what people have liked about...

And like a PP said...DEFINATELY don't think you need everything on Babies R Us (or any of the store 'lists') they only want to make $$$ on you...you will NOT need most of that stuff.

Here is something funny that we ran across with our crib... it won't fit through the bedroom door. I was so mad... I had plans when ds got to big to sleep next to us that he would sleep in the crib in our bedroom. So, I had this all worked out and one night, went to roll it into our bedroom, and the darn thing wouldn't fit through the door. Dh is very, very patient, but would not take it apart and put it back together.Screwdrivers are not my forte. So, ds started sleeping in his room. Seemed very sad to me then and I was really upset that I was unprepared for this.

Kinda seems like small potatoes, but think ahead!

My one couldn't live without item is the sling. Everything else can be improvised. Good luck!